Means for finishing fabrics



July 17, 1923'.

A. A. GRUNDY MEANS FOR FINISHING FABRICS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed Sept. 1, 1921 WITNESS.

I IV/T/VESS;

MEA'NS FOR FINISHING FABRICS Filed t 1921 2 Sheets-Shee Patented July1?, 1925.

UNITED srres insane PATENT ()FFICE.

ALFRED A. GRUNIDY, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNO R 0F'ONFPTI-IIBD TO HIMSELF, ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE ZGRUSHLAW, AND' ONE-THIRD'IO JOHN SICHEL, ALL OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR FINISHING FABRICS.

Application filed September 1, 1921. Serial no. 497,598.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ALFRED A. GRUNDY, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State 5 ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means forFinishing Fabrics, of which the following is a full, clear, andexactdescription, reference be ng had to theaccompanying drawings, whlchform a part of this specification. My invention relates to means forfinishing fabrics and more especially for finishing knitted fabrics. t

The object of my invention is to provide a mechanism which will stretch,steam calender, and fold the fabric. I v As is well known tomanufacturers of knitted fabrics, the fabric as it comes from theknitting machine is limp and it is necessary to treat it to set thestitch, to give to the fabric the desirable firmness, and to finish it.The stitch may be set by steaming and calendering, but heretoforecumbersome and expensive apparatus has been required for this purposeand the results obtained have not been consistent with economy.

Further, after the fabric is finished the piece must be measured offinto lengths, if it is to beutilized inthe manufacture of garments, orfolded if it is'to be shipped in the piece.

Heretofore separate folding machines have been used, which occupy anundue amount of space in the mill, are complicated in operation andexpensive to install.

In accordance with my invention, I pro vide a machine of extremesimplicity which in a novel manner acts to stretch, steam, calender andmeasure or fold the fabric.

By virtue of my invention, the fabric is finished more perfectly thanheretofore at a great saving in time and labor and with the utilizationof a minimum of space in the mill.

Having now indicated in a general way the nature, purpose and advantagesof my invention, I will proceed to a detailed description thereof withreference to the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated apreferred embodiment, and in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of amachine embodying my invention.

Fig.2 is a plan view of the top of the machine. v

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the side of the machine opposite to that shownin Fig. 1, partly diagrammatic. i

Fig. 4 isa view of a detail of the machine.

Journalled in a suitable support a, which in turn is carried by framingb, is a pair of superimposed feed rolls 0, 0, adj acent. te which is atable {I having a slight upward slant toward the feed rolls. rolls 0, 0and spaced therefrom is a pair of Parallel to the calender rolls d, cljournalled in the support a. The upper-and lower feed rolls and calenderrolls are geared together by equal gears 11 as indicated in Fig. 2. Theupper feed roll and the upper calender roll are provided with ordinarybearings, while the lower feed roll and the lower calender roll aresupported by means of bearing blocks 6, e yieldingly I pressed upagainst the spindles by means of the action of levers f, f, pivoted tosupport a and acted on by springs g, g secured to the levers and to thesupport a. Bosses it receive the ends of the spindle of'the upper feedroll, and discs 2' having a fiat or cam surface j are fitted to the endsof the lower feed roll in position to contact with the bosses it, levers70 extend from discs 11 (one of which is shown in Fi .4) providing meansfor rotating the disc. ormally the cam surface j of disc 2' contactswith boss. h, and

the feed rolls are in operative relation. However, by depressing lever7c, disc i is rotated and its arcuate-surface brought into contact withboss 71, thus causing disc 2 to be depressed and causing the lowerfeedroll to o be forced downward away from the upper roll, against theaction of the spring-pressed lever f which supports the spindle of thelower roll. Similar means may be applied to the calender rolls ifdesired. This separation of the feed rolls enables the end of the fabricto be inserted into the machine, as will hereafter be more specificallyexplained.

At one end of the upper feed and calender rolls are secured worm wheelsZ, Z adapted to be driven by worms m, 4% carried on a shaft a suitablyjournalled on support a and driven by a motor 0 through reducing gearing10. Should it be desirable to drive the calender rolls faster than thefeed rolls, this maybe done by reducing the number of teeth on the wormwheel carried by the upper calender roll.

Between the feed and calender rolls and extending the width of the rollsis placed an arcnate sheet of light metal T closed at the ends, beneathwhich is placed agas burner 8, preferably of the Bunsen type, the metalsheet 1* being; ventilated by means of an upwardly extending pipe 2 7 Anendless apron 11, adapted to pass over a suitably supported roller a,passes over a guide roll it, over the outer surface of the arcuate metalsheet 1', between the calender rolls which act to drive it, and over anidle roll a; which tends to keep tension on the apron. Beneath roller 1;is-positioned a pan of water into which the roller e dips and from whichthe roller transmits moisture to the apron a.

At the base of the framing F) is a transverse shaft on one end of whichis a sproclrc ,el :2 adapted to be driven by a chain 3 from a sprocket tcarried on an end of the upper feed roll. A sprocket- 5 is secured onthe opposite end of shaft .2 and serves to drive a chain 6 which passesover a sprocket 7 adjustab secured to the base of framing Z). I

Pivotally secured to the chain (3 is an adjustable connecting rod 8,which in turn is pivotally secured to a car 9, adapted to bereciprocated by the connecting rod back and forth beneath the calenderrolls.

In operation, the fabric 10, in this case a tubular fabric, is led up ontable 9, and a spreader of the usual type comprising a roller 12carrying a bale 13 inserted in its end. The spreader serves to hold thetube of fabric flat on its entrance to the feed rolls. The feed rollsare then separated by depressing levers 7c and the end of the fabricinserted between them. The motor is then started and the burner s lit.The fabric passes with apron it over metal sheet a" and between thecalender rolls, from which it passes to car 9, which is reciprocatedbacl: and forth to fold the fabric as shown in Figure 8, the chain 6 andconnecting rod 8 having been adjusted to limit the movement of the carto cause the fabric to fold in the de sired lengths. t

v The apron a is constantly supplied with moisture by the roller o andis heated on passing over the hot surface of sheet 9. The heat serves toturn the moisture into steam which passes with heat into the fabricsuperimposed over the apron and serves to steam it. The fabric is alsoin a sense pressed in its passage with the apron over sheet 1". Afterleaving sheet 1 the steamed and heated fabric passes with the apronthrough the calender rolls, which serve to finish it and from which itpasses to the car 9 which serves to fold it. In the passage downward tothe car 9 the fabric is sufliciently aired and dried.

It will now be noted that by virtue of my invention the fabric isheated, steamed and simultaneously pressed; then, while still in theproper condition, calendered.

It will be obvious that my invention although described moreparticularly in connection with tubular fabrics is equally adaptable toplain fabrics, whether knitted vmven, or otherwise made,

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

Means for finishing fabrics comprising a pair of feed rolls, a pair ofcalendering rolls, a stationar arcuate ironing surface positionedbetween said pairs of rolls, means to heat said surface, an apronpassing over said arcuate surface, a supply of liquid, and a rolleradapted to pick up and transfer liquid from said supply to said apron.

In testimony of which invention, 1 have hereunto set my hand, atPhiladelphia, Pa, on this 30th day of August, 1921.

ALFRED A. GRUNDY.

